Where My Heart Should Be
by Spunky0ne
Summary: When a man claiming to be Byakuya Kuchiki is found hidden in the remains of Las Noches, Renji is tasked with deciding who is telling the truth, the stoic, powerful captain who commands Senbonzakura, or the gentle, powerless prisoner who was Aizen's captive...yaoi, mpreg...Byakuya/Renji, Renji/Bya(kuya), Aizen/Bya(kuya) Kisuke/Ichigo, Koji Kuchiki/Tetsuya Kuchiki
1. Reflection

**Where My Heart Should Be**

**By Spunky0ne**

**Chapter 1: Reflection**

"Not to complain, sir," said Renji, walking alongside Byakuya as the two approached Las Noches, "but I don't know why the sixth division was chosen for this mission. Isn't blowing shit up and creating mass destruction more the style of the eleventh?"

"Actually," said the noble, "If there is no blood involved, then Captain Zaraki has no interest. And, in any case, I chose this mission, myself."

"You did?" inquired Renji, looking surprised, "Huh...No disrespect to you, of course, Captain, but I also don't see you as one who really enjoys blowing things up either."

"Hmmm," mused the raven-haired captain, "Given what that man put my sister through, I think you and I will both enjoy watching his empire crumble, ne Renji?"

"You got that right," agreed the redhead, "Zabimaru and I will be happy to rain hell down on this place. Just say the word."

Byakuya nodded.

"We have secured a general agreement with the new leader of the hollows to end hostilities, as well as clearance to raze Las Noches. The new king has chosen another site for his palace. And, having sacrificed something of himself in the battle with Aizen, the Captain Commander was especially pleased when I approached him with the request for this mission."

Renji blinked questioningly.

"You mean, this wasn't just a mission you requested, this was your idea?" he asked.

"Yes. I thought that, as a symbolic measure, it would do some good for the ones he damaged. There will be quite a few in attendance, including your friends from Karakura Town."

"Don't you mean, _our_ friends, Captain?" asked Renji, "After what you did to help Rukia and me get..."

"I don't know what you are talking about, Renji," the noble said coolly, "I followed the orders I was given to the letter."

"Yeah, right," Renji chuckled, "You go ahead and stick to that story, Captain. But all of us know just what that small bit of help meant. As bad as things got, it took the efforts of all of us to bring that bastard and his band of merry hollows down."

Renji's smile faded slightly and features darkened.

"Although...as things went, I don't know what the hell I did that mattered. I know you only encouraged me to go to watch over Rukia, but I wasn't even there to protect her against that Espada that almost killed her. And you had to come to Las Noches, yourself to save her from that other creepy Espada that was going to finish her off."

"Stop going on about that, Renji," Byakuya said calmly, "You fought well, and Rukia did not die. Aizen has been brought to justice and we are about to bring down the last of his illusions of power. He is nothing now, and will be forgotten."

"Yeah," agreed Renji, regaining his smile, "That makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside."

"It is pleasing to me, also."

They stopped speaking as they reached the gathering of battered towers that dotted the sands where Aizen had held power before. Several of the towers had been badly damaged, and the illusory sunny sky overhead had been broken, and allowed the night to peek through. They entered the courtyard of the main complex and found a crowd of others who had gathered to witness the final bits of the collapse of Aizen's kingdom. And what caught Renji's attention was the presence of a number of powerful hollows who stood with the gathered shinigamis and humans to watch and assist. He wasn't so surprised to see Nel in her child form, standing at Ichigo's side, but the close presence of Grimmjow with the ginger-haired youth left him blinking in wonder.

_That guy was so determined to kill Ichigo. But then, he wasn't doing that because of Aizen. And in the end, Ichigo defended him when Nnoitra tried to finish him. I guess Nel must have found him and healed him. They both just disappeared after the fighting was over._

Byakuya gathered the volunteers and sixth division personnel together and broke them up into teams. The groups moved off to address their assigned structures...to search thoroughly for any prisoners being held within, then to beat the buildings down until they became one with the cold sands.

Byakuya and Renji remained in the courtyard of the main building with Rukia, Ichigo, Uryu, Chad, Orihime, Nel and Grimmjow. He turned to look at the building, addressing the group while facing away from them.

"Renji, Rukia and I will explore the top floors of the tower. Uryu, Chad and Orihime can take the central floors and living areas. Ichigo, Nel and Grimmjow will search the lower floors and prison levels. Report back anything you find and we will meet back here in the courtyard when we have finished ensuring that the premises have been cleared. Be cautious, however, as our agreements with the hollow monarchy do not bar rogue hollows from attacking us. Stay together."

The group entered the main building and moved carefully through the damaged black marble entry and up the broken remains of the grand staircase. They turned in different directions, each group moving towards their assigned levels, and all feeling a sense of tension, even in the absence of Sousuke Aizen.

Byakuya led Renji and Rukia slowly through the upper levels, sending the two off to search on their own as he worked his way through the too quiet hallways and living spaces. Several hours later, they joined together again and stood outside the highest room in the tower.

"Beyond this doorway," Byakuya told them, "is Sousuke Aizen's personal quarters. I want you to be cautious as we search it, as we do not know if he may have set traps within. Stay close to me."

He motioned the two off to the side and raised his reiatsu until the building shook with it. He raised his hands and extended them in front of him.

"Hado #33, Soukatsui," he said calmly, releasing a huge blast of blue fire from his hands.

The large double doors blew off their hinges and flew into the breached room, slamming against the back wall and leaving the noise echoing in their ears. Byakuya entered the room first, and handily disarmed several traps, then motioned for the others to join him. Renji moved towards the noble, the hollow ringing still making his ears ache. He stood quietly as Rukia and Byakuya searched the room, gathering a number of files and records that they thought might be useful to the Gotei 13.

"Is something wrong, Renji?" Byakuya asked, noting that his vice captain had stopped and was rubbing the back of his neck and staring at the wall that the entry doors had hit.

"Huh..." Renji said, blinking slowly, "There was...just something odd about the sound...when the doors hit that wall. A hollow sound."

Byakuya's lips tightened and he slowly approached the wall, studying it carefully, and tapping in several places. He moved back, ordering Renji and Rukia behind him, then loosing another heavy blast that destroyed the wall and filled the room with smoke and dust. Byakuya stood aloof as Rukia and Renji coughed and covered their faces. Then the noble stepped forward, staring at a stairway that the wall had concealed. The three made their way cautiously forward, their footsteps echoing as they ascended the stairway and found a heavily locked and sealed door at the top.

"What do you make of that, Captain?" Renji asked, "What do you think is behind that door?"

"I am not certain," Byakuya said quietly, "But we will be very careful entering. It could be a final trap of some kind, or it could hold the deepest of Sousuke Aizen's secrets."

This time, the noble did not employ his power, but addressed the enchanted seals one-by-one, then stepped back and allowed Renji to address the more mechanical locks.

"Looks like my Inuzuri past is coming in handy, after all, ne Rukia?" the redhead chuckled, easily picking each lock and freeing the final bindings on the door.

Byakuya stepped in front of them again and slowly opened the door. The three entered the darkened room and immediately caught their breath in surprise. Where the tower was the tallest one, and seemed to end at the beginning of Aizen's illusion of sky, in truth, the tower had a large glass dome which extended up into the darkness of the natural sky above the illusion, leaving the room bathed in blue moon and starlight. Byakuya gazed silently up at through the glass as Rukia and Renji started into the room, letting their eyes adjust.

"There should be a light switch somewhere," Byakuya said absently, seemingly mesmerized by the starry sky and crescent moon.

"Right, Captain," said Renji, walking the edges of the room to look for it.

Rukia moved slowly forward, heading across the room towards the bed, which appeared to have been left unmade. The lights snapped on suddenly, nearly blinding the three.

"Sorry!" Renji hastily apologized.

He and Byakuya froze and Rukia made a sound of surprise as they realized that the rumpled bed was inhabited. A black-haired person laid, curled around the pillows and facing away from them, unmoving as they approached. At first, they thought the person might have been slain while asleep, a hidden, tragic victim of Aizen's cruelty. But as they reached the person, they could see the soft rise and fall of breathing. Byakuya reached the edge of the bed and scanned it carefully, then extended a gloved hand and touched the person on the shoulder.

A soft, masculine groan issued from the person, and he stirred sluggishly.

"Sousuke?" he said, starting to lift his head.

The three caught their breath in surprise at the sound of the man's voice, and their eyes widened as he sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes, then looking at them as if he couldn't quite focus.

"S-sweet...kami!" exclaimed Renji, looking from the man in the bed to the raven-haired captain of the sixth division, "Captain? He...that man! He looks just like you!"

The man in the bed squinted up at them, blinking as his eyes cleared, then staring up at Byakuya with a haunted expression. Gray eyes met gray eyes and a silent message passed between the two.

"Who are you?" asked Byakuya, glaring down at the man.

"You _know_ who I am," he replied, his face going deathly pale, "I am the man you all came here to kill. I am Byakuya Kuchiki, former head of the Kuchiki clan and former captain of the sixth division. Sousuke told me that you would come...and that you would kill me if you found me. Where is he? Where is Lord Aizen?"

Rukia and Renji gasped in surprise as Byakuya struck the man with a strong shock of kido, making him collapse instantly onto the bed.

"Renji, bring him, and come with me," Byakuya said sternly.

"Y-yeah, sure Captain," Renji said, moving forward and lifting the unconscious shinigami into his arms.

He moved over and stood near the doorway, holding the senseless man as Rukia and Byakuya completed their search of the room. The three then descended the stairway and worked their way back to the entry, and out to the courtyard, where the other search groups were waiting. Gasps and harsh whispers erupted at the sight of Renji, carrying the unconscious man who looked like the redhead's own captain. Renji felt the man shiver and glanced down at him, surprised he could have awakened so soon. He turned back as Byakuya ordered everyone out of the courtyard, and carried the man to the top of a nearby sand dune. The dark gray eyes watched and he trembled softly as Byakuya's petals enclosed and vaporized the building.

"Just tell me," the man said, barely audibly, "Is he dead, Renji? Did they kill Sousuke? I know that you despise me, but do me one last kindness before you have your revenge on me...and tell me. What happened to Sousuke Aizen?"

Renji glared into the man's eyes, searching for signs of what must be Aizen's illusions around the man. But for all his eyes could see, he was looking at his own captain, albeit rumpled and dressed in only a soft, white yukata, barefoot, and his raven colored hair tumbled. He had never seen Byakuya Kuchiki look so vulnerable, not since that day in the hospital after the confrontation with Aizen on Sokyoku Hill.

"That son of a bitch can't die," Renji said in a low, hateful voice, "So they have him locked up in the deepest, darkest corner of Central 46...which is where you will be if you are found to be his accomplice. Be quiet and do what you are told. They might let you live."

"I do not expect so," the man said, sagging against Renji's shoulder.

Renji caught his breath in surprise as the man burrowed more deeply into his shoulder, breathing in Renji's scent and closing his eyes.

"Will you do something for me, Renji?" he asked calmly.

The redhead looked down at him warily.

"I am powerless. I am defenseless, and everything has been taken from me. I have lost my home, my family, my place as a captain, my zanpakuto...even my self respect, as I was forced to accept help from the last man in the world I ever thought I would. And I realize now that I should have just died that day. So...I ask you to undo that mistake. While we are alone and my former friends and family celebrate Sousuke Aizen's fall and my capture, I ask you to finish what you started that day. End this now...please."

Renji was quiet for a moment as the man's dark eyes opened and looked up at him again. His lips tightened and he shook his head firmly.

"I don't know who the fuck you are," Renji said in a low voice, "but I know you are not Byakuya Kuchiki. For one thing, my captain would never have gotten into bed with the man who hurt his sister and his friends and fellow captains. And for another thing, my captain would not have asked for a cowardly, quiet execution. He would have stood proudly, even as they led him to the sokyoku. And Byakuya Kuchiki would never, under any circumstances, shed tears."

He brushed away a tear that had strayed onto the man's face and looked more deeply into his shattered eyes.

"And if by some ridiculous chance, you are my captain?" the redhead went on, "I don't want to know. I want to remember the way I know you...proud, unyielding, strong. You are nothing like that man. And if you are convicted of siding with Sousuke Aizen, then you will suffer every bit of punishment Central 46 hands down."

He was surprised again by the man's reaction. His stricken eyes held Renji's as though they couldn't break away, and from somewhere inside, new strength emerged and bolstered his faded pride.

"You are right, of course, Renji Abarai. Thank you for bringing me to my senses," the man said, his words sending a hard chill down the redhead's spine, "Despite everything, I am glad for the time that we had together as comrades. I know that you pursued me only to try to destroy me...but...you love my sister, and I know you will take care of her when I am gone. I will trouble you no more."

He rested his head against Renji's shoulder again, watching as Las Noches passed into ashes. Then Renji set him on his feet, gently binding his hands behind him and bringing him along as the shinigamis passed through the open garganta and into the training grounds beneath Urahara's shop. They opened a senkaimon and passed into Soul Society, emerging at the main senkaimon doors and making their way to the gates of the Seireitei. They passed through and paused for a moment as Byakuya approached Renji and the restrained man.

"Should I take him to Central 46?" asked Renji.

"No," said Byakuya, "He is to be fully examined at the fourth division, then placed under guard at the sixth division."

"Sir?"

"Whoever he is, he appears to be of my family. If such is proven, then he falls under the jurisdiction of the noble clans, not Central 46."

"But, I thought that if there was treason..."

"He has not been accused of that crime, and in fact, there is no evidence, as of yet, that he was anything but a captive of Aizen's. That he was sealed in that room is evidence enough that he was Aizen's prisoner. We will analyze whatever we are able to learn about him and decide from there, what to do with him."

"Yes, sir."

"Now, escort him to the fourth division. And wait there until I come for you. I will be along after I make a report to the Captain Commander."

"Sir."

Renji turned the prisoner towards the fourth division, shaking his head at the oddity of it all, and wondering what Aizen had been thinking when he locked the man away.

_It must be how he's getting a last laugh in, messing with our heads like this. This isn't my captain. I would know if he was. I know Byakuya Kuchiki like no one else does..._


	2. Which is an Illusion?

**Chapter 2: Which is an Illusion?**

Isane stole a curious glance over her shoulder as she led Renji and the stranger who looked like Captain Kuchiki into an examination room and closed the door.

"Captain Unohana will be along in a few minutes," she told the two men, "Wait here."

She glanced at the stranger's yukata and bare feet and smiled kindly at him.

"You don't need to undress. You are already in clothing suitable for the examination."

"Arigato, Vice Captain Kotetsu," the man said softly.

Isane left the examination room, and Renji released the prisoner from his restraints, allowing him to sit comfortably on the examination table. Renji expected that the man might try to talk to him again...to ask questions or to seek more information about the captured leader of the hollows, but he only sat silently, looking out the window at the blue sky.

"Would you like me to bring you some water or tea while you are waiting?" Renji asked.

"No, thank you," the man answered, still looking away, "I have no reiatsu flow, so I have no need for food or drink."

"I know that. I just thought it might make you more comfortable during your examination if..."

"And why would my comfort matter to you?" the man asked in a softer, oddly wounded tone, "When I lived here, you wanted to hurt me. And even now, you despise me."

"I don't despise you," said Renji, "I don't even know you. And whatever you might have done, you don't deserve to be mistreated."

The man's eyes met Renji's for a moment, and Renji felt a soft, sad jolt at the hopelessness he found there.

_But I guess he knows what's likely to happen to him, in light of him having probably been Sousuke Aizen's lover...willing or not._

"Don't waste your sympathy on me," the man said in a distant voice, "I was lost from the moment I fell, defending Rukia."

"What?" said Renji, frowning, "What do you...?"

The door opened and Captain Unohana entered and gazed curiously at the man who looked like her colleague.

"You do look like our Captain Kuchiki," said the healer, "but I sense no reiatsu around you. Nor do you radiate the power of that man. How do you explain this, if you are who you say you are?"

"I cannot," said the man, "I do not know what was done to me."

"Hmmm," said the healer, tilting her head and helping him to lie down on his back.

And for all that Renji had decided that the man could not be Byakuya, the way he moved, the way he quickly concealed the pain he felt as he moved, his expressions...everything seemed to fit. He watched with a softly aching heart as the scanner passed over his body and the reading of his reiatsu was so low that it barely registered.

_It can't be..._

"The report I received said that you were found in Sousuke Aizen's personal quarters, in a locked and sealed room," said Captain Unohana, "Were you his prisoner, then?"

The man sighed and said nothing in reply. The healer stopped and frowned for a moment, then went on with the examination, drawing blood and trace reiatsu samples. She watched with sympathetic eyes as just the minor amount of what was taken for testing, resulted in a deep weariness that overtook the man.

Captain Unohana's hands passed over his body again, and she studied his abdomen carefully.

"Did you know that you have a reiatsu chamber inside your body?" she asked, "Was he trying to impregnate you then?"

"No," said the man, "At least, not yet. He was waiting. You see, when he took everything else away, he said that he would compensate me for the losses by taking me as his consort and giving me a family to replace the one that had rejected me."

"Rejected you?" said Renji, looking confused, "What are you talking about? You're not making sense. The Kuchiki family never rejected you."

The prisoner stared at Renji in surprise.

"But...my cousin came to Las Noches under a white flag, and was admitted to deliver the clan's message. They accused me of being with Aizen from the very beginning."

"But that's not possible," Renji said, shaking his head, "because your cousin was seriously injured in an accident just a couple of days after Aizen left for Las Noches. Byakuya, he has been unconscious and in intensive care in the fourth division ever since. Tetsuya Kuchiki could not have gone to Las Noches. There would not have been time for him to get there before the time of his injury."

The man's face paled even more, and his eyes grew tormented.

"Captain Unohana, is this true?" he asked in a choked voice, "Is my cousin here?"

"Yes," the healer said solemnly, "What Vice Captain Abarai said was true. Tetsuya Kuchiki was badly injured and remains unconscious even now...months later."

"Please," said the distraught prisoner, "I swear that I will cooperate with you in any way you ask, but let me see Tetsuya, just for a few minutes! I need to..."

Captain Unohana turned her gaze on Renji.

"What do you think, Vice Captain?" she asked, "This man is too weak to be dangerous, and we may have some of our questions answered."

"Yeah," agreed the redhead, "Okay, I won't object."

"But I will," said Byakuya from the doorway, "This man was Aizen's lover...and I will be damned if I am going to let some traitor near my cousin. Abarai, I am surprised you agreed to this."

He turned his dark, stern eyes on the prisoner.

"Captain Unohana, if you have completed your examination of this man, I will take him to be incarcerated at the sixth division."

The healer looked less than happy, but nodded.

"I have all of the samples I need.. However, I was going to infuse him with reiatsu to see how well he responds."

"Renji can do that when we get to the division. It doesn't require him to stay here."

"Very well, then," said the healer, "I will have his release papers prepared."

"Just have them messengered to the sixth division," Byakuya said shortly.

He pulled the prisoner to his feet and bound his hands behind his back again with a kido spell, then hustled him out of the room. Renji rushed after them as Byakuya swept down the street and back to their division headquarters. He entered the building and shoved the prisoner ahead of him, pushing him into one of the squad jail cells and firmly sealing the door.

"You're taking this guy awful seriously, Captain," said Renji, glancing at the man.

"We do not have the full results of the tests that were taken," the noble stated, "We will have to wait for those results before we can assume he is not some kind of threat. You should know that's standard procedure, especially in light of the fact that he is trying to impersonate an officer of the Gotei 13."

"Huh," mused the redhead, "Though it makes me wonder why he'd go to the trouble when he obviously doesn't have the powers you do, and he can't command Senbonzakura..."

"Exactly," agreed the noble, "Which is part of the reason that I want him incarcerated at our division. It will give me the latitude I need to get the truth out of him."

He started to go on, but was distracted by a hell butterfly that floated down the hallway and paused next to him.

_All captains will immediately report to the first division meeting room for a status report on efforts in Hueco Mundo._

Byakuya frowned in annoyance, then cast a disapproving glare at the prisoner.

"Come Renji, I want to speak to you before I leave."

The prisoner watched the two leave, then sat down on the small cot and pressed his slender back against the wall. He sighed in relief at being in a familiar place, even knowing that he was a prisoner and no one believed his story.

_Who would believe such a ridiculous story? I don't even know whether to believe, myself. With all of the illusions, I became so confused, I do not know what is real. How am I supposed to know if I am even really where I think I am...that I am the person I believe myself to be? I do not blame them for thinking I am crazy._

He pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, resting his chin on them and gazing out into the dim corridor. It was a comfort to hear voices he knew in the area, to smell the scents of his home base, but if they turned out to be another cruel lie...

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of achingly familiar footsteps that approached his cell and came to a stop.

A hand reached through the bars and set a cup of tea on the small table near the cell door.

"I told you that I do not need food or drink to sustain myself," he said, without looking up."

"Yeah," said Renji, "I heard you. But even though you don't need it for that, it will calm you down a bit and help you relax."

"Which you are hoping will get me to talk to you. Why bother, Renji? It is clear enough that you do not believe what I said to you. I understand. Given the circumstances, I cannot fault you for not believing me. I begin to wonder if Sousuke Aizen was deceiving me. But...what I feel being in this place, talking to you for the first time since we were separated at Sokyoku Hill, and finding that my cousin has been seriously injured and I cannot so much as see him...it becomes unbearable. And it makes me wonder if I am only suffering another illusion. I wouldn't know it if I was. I have lost all sense of reality."

The scent of the tea reached his nostrils, and the noble looked up curiously.

"Renji, you know I do not like that blend of tea. It has too bitter an edge...but then, it would be a good test of something subtle that your captain would notice, ne?"

Renji didn't answer, but removed the cup of tea and placed another on the table. This time, the prisoner's pale hand reached for it and he took a cautious sip. He closed his eyes, which had begun to fill with tears at tasting something that screamed of home. He set the tea down and curled his legs beneath him, leaning against the cell wall and gazing blankly ahead.

"Do you know what exactly happened to my cousin?" he asked softly, "Do you know how Tetsuya was injured?"

"He was thrown from his horse during a fight with a group of hollows at Kuchiki Manor," Renji told him, "Captain told me, himself. He was there when it happened."

"Hollows attacked the manor? And Tetsuya...fell from Arashi's back?"

"That's what I was told," said Renji, "I was at the healing center with you...with...Captain, I mean, afterwards. I heard Captain Unohana say that he had taken a really bad blow to the head, that must have happened when he fell."

"Do you know if there was an investigation?"

"I wasn't there, so I don't know what was done, but why would there need to be an investigation if Captain was right there?"

The man in the cell sighed softly and closed his eyes.

"You were lied to, Renji," he said quietly, "Tetsuya did not fall from his stallion's back."

"What?" Renji said, narrowing his eyes, "How do you know?"

The prisoner met Renji's eyes squarely.

Tetsuya and Arashi are soul mates," he explained, "There is no space between their minds...between their hearts. They balance each other in everything. They both employ the power of Re-kuhime, my cousin's water-based zanpakuto. When they are in battle, they move as one...think as one, fight as one. It is inconceivable that he would simply fall from Arashi's back...and 'fall' was the word that you used. But then, only one who had grown up with him and seen the development of Tetsuya and Arashi's powers would know that."

Renji gazed into the man's gray eyes, thinking back to what Byakuya had told him. He bit at his lips restlessly, then sighed in aggravation.

"I did use the word fall," he said finally, "but it happened so long ago...and, after all, Captain could have just been affected by the shock of what happened. He was very upset. He took several days off and still wasn't himself for a while after."

The two men went silent for several minutes, quietly observing each other in the semi-darkness.

"Are you warm enough?" Renji asked finally.

"I am fine. There is no place in the three worlds colder than Las Noches and no ice thicker than that which surrounds Sousuke Aizen's heart."

"Huh," huffed Renji, "The guy doesn't even have one anymore. He just has that damned rock in his chest that makes him immortal, so we can't kill the bastard."

"I tried to convince him not to fuse with it," said the prisoner, looking up at Renji for a moment, then away again, "I could see that it was overtaking him. If we had a horrid enemy in Sousuke Aizen, that abomination he created was a worse one."

"I thought that you were his lover," said Renji.

The man closed his eyes.

"Sousuke Aizen isn't in the habit of asking for what he wants...nor troubling himself with the desires of the ones he commands. He took me with him to Las Noches and...did something to me. I do not even know what."

"So...you are saying that the guy who came with me and found you, the guy who I work with, the one who is standing in the first division among people who know him very well...is one of Aizen's illusions?" Renji asked.

"How could he be?" the prisoner said solemnly, "Kyoka Suigetsu's power of illusion can be seen through if the illusion is studied closely by someone who knows the person well. Urahara said that the former captain, Shinji Hirako told him this...after those captains and vice captains were made vizards. And in any case, Sousuke Aizen is in the depths of Central 46 now, his powers sealed away. And even if he wasn't...an illusion brought on by a zanpakuto...any zanpakuto, would not have that kind of duration. It would have to be refreshed at certain intervals."

Renji gave the man a sad smile.

"You know," he said, with an odd edge of warmth in his voice, "You really shouldn't go shooting holes in your own story...if you want to be believed."

He paused and caught himself.

"Wait a second," he said, frowning, "If you have been gone all of this time...then...how do you know what Hirako told Kisuke?"

The man shook his head briefly.

"He had Kisuke and the vizards closely watched. He had carefully placed informants in the Gotei 13."

"And," said Renji, "being Aizen's lover, you saw and heard a lot of things while you were in Las Noches, ne?"

"I wish that you would stop calling me that," the prisoner said in a defeated tone, "To use the word 'love' to describe what was between us, defiles the word even more than that man defiled my body. I told you. Sousuke Aizen takes what he wants. If he yields something, it is not because he is being kind, but because he sees an advantage in doing so, and if he promises something, the lie he hands you is not worth the air he takes to breathe it."

"Sorry if I offended you," said the redhead, "but he certainly didn't leave you in a cell somewhere, and he apparently didn't let anyone hurt you. And being that you have no powers, he might have put you up in that tower as much to protect you as to imprison you."

The man met Renji's eyes with a weary expression.

"Why don't you just ask me the question you are holding back, Renji?" he asked softly, "I mean, it is an obvious question, ne? _Why would Sousuke Aizen so carefully protect the shell of a person like me?_ What do I have to offer him that he hasn't already taken? You and I both know that a pretty face would not be enough. And if he merely wanted to debase our clan by turning its leader into a useless, pathetic piece of trash, he would have thrown me in their faces long ago. So why did he lock me away in the most secure location in Las Noches and see that I was resting comfortably?"

"You must still be useful to him," concluded Renji.

"If you really want to learn the truth, a truth I cannot begin to tell you, because even I do not know it...you might begin there," the prisoner suggested.


	3. Which is Truth

**Chapter 3: Which is Truth?**

"So did you learn anything more from that guy we found?" Renji asked, watching from his desk as Byakuya cleared the last few items away from his own.

"Nothing worth mention," the noble said, shaking his head and picking up Senbonzakura, "He has admitted to being in a relationship, albeit a somewhat dubious one, with Aizen, and he has confessed that even he does not know if what he believes about himself is true."

"I knew that much," said Renji, "It just seems like Aizen worked the guy over and confused the hell out of him, but he doesn't seem, in any way dangerous. He hasn't got the reiatsu to sit down to tea with the captain commander without passing out."

He glanced at the hallway that led to where the prisoner was being held.

"So, what do you think will happen to him?"

Byakuya sighed.

"Should he prove to be harmless, Central 46 will gather what evidence there is and make a determination of culpability. If they decide that, as you say, he was not willingly involved in Aizen's plot and he is too weak, in any case, to be a threat, then they will send him to the fourth division for a full psychological assessment. If they agree that he is competent to be released, he will either be sent into the Rukongai...or if the medical tests prove he is of noble descent, he can pursue a place within that family, here in the Seireitei."

"So do you think he's from your clan?" asked the redhead, "I mean, he looks like you, so..."

"If he proves to be a relative, and not dangerous, I will house him at Kuchiki Manor. He may, because of his association with Aizen, have to submit to some level of monitoring and control, but it would be better, I presume, than being executed or confined to the Central 46 prison."

"That's for sure," agreed Renji.

Byakuya gave his work area a last glance, then looked back at Renji a final time.

"I am placing you in charge of the prisoner," he told the redhead, "Any action to be taken will wait until I return. The results of his general medical scans should be in today, and I will be back tomorrow or the day after. I have sent a claim of fraternity to Central 46, so as long as he is proven to be a relative, they will not attempt to take him into their custody. And no matter what that deranged, poor excuse for a captain of the twelfth says, do not allow him to lay hands, or anything else on this prisoner."

"I won't let that creep in the door. Believe me," chuckled Renji, "Have a safe trip, Captain."

"Arigato, Vice Captain."

He walked to the door, then stopped and looked back at the redhead a final time.

"When I return, we will be meeting with the captain commander to discuss your advancement. So do not be lax in your physical training while I am away."

"Right, Captain," Renji said, smiling and nodding, "And thanks again for the recommendation."

"You have earned it," Byakuya said solemnly, "See that you continue to display the capabilities that have resulted in this well deserved honor."

"I will, Captain."

The smile remained on Renji's lips until some time after Byakuya had gone. He returned to working on the stack of reports and schedules, and remained occupied with his duties until late into the evening, then finally yawned and stretched as he pushed his chair out from his desk and prepared to adjourn to his quarters. But just as he was about to do so, the division door opened, and a courier from the fourth division entered the room.

"Vice Captain Abarai?" he said, bowing, "Captain Unohana ordered that the results of the Hueco Mundo imposter's medical exams be delivered immediately upon their arrival in her office."

"Yes, thanks. I'll take those. Captain Kuchiki has been waiting for those results."

He accepted the file from the courier and watched as he left, then locked the division door and turned off the lights. He carried the file to Byakuya's desk and set it down, then started towards his quarters, trying not to think about what the file might contain.

He hadn't been able to stop thinking about the stoic, quiet man all day. Even though he had distracted himself with work, the prisoner had been present in his stray thoughts. And now, he thought, there were answers...in that temptingly unsealed file.

_Captain wouldn't even know if I looked. And in any case as the acting captain while he is gone, I can look at any military communication that comes in..._

He pushed the thought away as he undressed and slowly showered, breathing deeply to removed the dull haze that office work left on his mind. He left the bathroom and slipped into a comfortable yukata, then started out of his quarters to go and make himself a cup of tea. He stopped outside the doors, freezing in place as the temptation to look in the prisoner's file nagged at him. Finally, after standing silent for several long minutes and battling himself internally, he returned to Byakuya's desk and picked up the file. His heart racing softly, he opened it and began to read in a voice just above a whisper.

"Subject male is a full shinigami, pure blooded noble, and of Kuchiki lineage. Blood and reiatsu tests show a match with clan leader, Byakuya Kuchiki. However, routine scans completed on the currently acting captain of the sixth division are identical. Subsequent tests run on the provided samples from the prisoner confirm he is not a clone or hollow, nor is there any detectable attempt to mislead our medical personnel in their conclusions. As such, it must be concluded that the currently acting captain of Squad Six is Byakuya Kuchiki, and the prisoner in question is a previously unacknowledged twin...but one who lacks the powers and reiatsu of his fraternal 'brother.'"

_Huh..._

"The patient evinces a level of confusion about himself, but believes that he is Byakuya Kuchiki. Although his situation resulted in him being overly weary and looking unusually distraught at times, his bearing, voicing, speech patterns and thinking structure all support his claim. Yet, given that the currently acting captain evinces all of those traits and has the expected level of reiatsu and command of the zanpakuto, Senbonzkura, again, it must be concluded that the prisoner is a previously unidentified fraternal and identical twin."

_Talk about strange!_

"Additional tests will need to be conducted to confirm the prisoner's mental and emotional fitness, however, despite showing signs of fatigue, malnutrition and stress that all seem related to his situation in Las Noches, the subject seems competent to proceed with the assessment of his culpability as a material witness or participant in Sousuke Aizen's treasonous acts. Further testing will occur following Central 46's culpability assessment."

Renji swallowed hard and frowned as he closed the file.

_So except for his lack of powers, it looks like he's a lost brother...but...why does that set off warning bells in my head? He's not a clone or hollow. He doesn't seem dangerous. But it looks like Aizen was imprisoning and protecting him. Could he have been holding the guy to ransom him for money or something? But wait...even though the guy seemed confused about everything since Sokyoku Hill, his 'memory' of what came before seems perfect. So...how could he be a simple brother? And if he is, then where has he been all of this time? This just gets more and more confusing..._

With a troubled sigh, he closed the file and set it on Byakuya's desk, then walked down the hallway in the direction of the squad kitchen. His route took him past the squad holding cells, only one of which was occupied. Renji paused, looking in at the restlessly sleeping man on the cot inside the cell. He felt a stab of sympathy at the discomfort in the man's features and bit at his lips, trying to decide what to do. In the end, he continued on to the kitchen, but made two cups of tea, then returned to the holding cell, opened the cell door, and stepped inside, closing and locking the door behind him.

As he moved forward in the dim cell, he could see that the prisoner was shaking softly and speaking in faint, unintelligible bits. He moaned, as though in pain, then his dark gray eyes flew open and he sat up, gasping and clutching at the bedding. His eyes took in the sight of Renji, and the man blinked and seemed to regain his senses.

"Sorry I startled you," said Renji, setting the tea on the small table beside the bed, "But it seemed like you were having a nightmare."

The prisoner slowed his breathing and took a sip of tea to calm himself. He let out a soft breath and his tension seemed to ease.

"But with me, I am never sure anymore which nightmare is the one I'm really living out. Renji, I am really beginning to lose my mind. You cannot know until you experience it...what it is like to live in the presence of Sousuke Aizen. He spun so many illusions around me that eventually everything I was...that hard, resolved person...just crumbled. I couldn't, and still cannot discern what is real from what is not. I hate myself for becoming so weak. It makes me wish that it had all ended that day on Sokyoku Hill."

Renji sat down in the chair beside the cot and sipped at his tea, then set it down.

"Why don't you tell me exactly what you remember?"

He listened carefully, recalling the details from his own experience as the man gave his account. With every word, the uncertainty inside the redhead grew.

_He isn't just giving a general account. He couldn't talk about it in such detail if he hadn't been there, himself. So...he was there. But is it as he said? Was he taken by Aizen?_ _Or was he just present and we didn't see him? Was he surrounded by Aizen's illusions? Kami, no wonder the guy feels like he's lost it. Even given how strong I know Byakuya Kuchiki is, everyone has their limits. But...how could this be Byakuya Kuchiki when that report also says that my captain, who has been here all along is Captain Kuchiki. Gods! Where is the damned truth?_

"Renji, are you all right? You look distressed."

The redhead shook his head and looked up at the man, frowning.

"What do you remember from after Sokyoku Hill?" he asked, ignoring the prisoner's concern for him.

The man tilted his head, thinking.

"I lost consciousness," he said quietly, "When I woke, I was in Aizen's quarters in Las Noches, and being attended by his personal healer. He mostly left me alone while I was too weak to trouble him, but as I healed, he made sure that I was carefully restrained. The only time I wasn't in some kind of restraints was when he allowed me to speak with Tetsuya. But you say that my cousin couldn't have been there...that he was injured before that..."

"Yeah," Renji said absently, "So Aizen must have used his powers to just convince you that your cousin was there. Why?"

"It makes sense," the man said quietly, "If his goal was to break down my resolve to fight him, then making me believe that I was a fugitive...that my friends and family believed me to be a traitor, would have been an effective tool. I did consider that, while talking to Tetsuya, but having been injured and for that the drugs I was being given for pain muddled my perception...I admit, I do not know for certain that Tetsuya was ever there."

The prisoner released a shuddering breath.

"Renji, I told you before that Tetsuya could not have been injured that way, falling from Arashi's back. And you told me that your captain was present when Tetsuya was injured."

"Yeah, I said that...yeah."

"Think about this, Renji. Aizen didn't know that I was going to try to save Rukia. He admitted to me that he took me because the opportunity presented itself. Now...you are convinced, are you not...that your captain has not been missing all of this time. And further, he has acted the way you expected. You are thinking that if he was an illusion, you...or Captain Unohana...or any number of people who know me, would have detected it."

"Uh-huh?" Renji said, sitting up straighter.

"So...if I am who I say I am, then...at some point, Aizen had to replace me with this other person. Let us say, for a moment, that he found a way to steal my powers and place them in a 'substitute body' of some kind that he could better control. Even so, he would have had to have used illusion to hide my disappearance for some amount of time after that day while he prepared the imposter. The fourth division was overwhelmed and I was likely barely conscious, so an illusion could not be detected as easily. By the time I was released from the healing center, the imposter would have arrived and taken over. Renji, do you know if Tetsuya came to see me while I was in the healing center?"

"Yeah, I was there with you most of the time, you know..."

"What?" said the man, looking surprised, "Why?"

"What do you mean, why?" asked Renji, "Isn't it obvious? I was wrong about you. I thought that you didn't care about her. I hated you because you were going to let her die. But despite how much you resolved to see her sentence carried out, once it was clear that the execution order had been faked, you saved her from Gin's attack. I went back and thought about everything. And...given what you said at Sokyoku Hill while we were being healed..."

He stopped himself.

"But that wasn't even you, was it?"

The prisoner's eyes widened.

"Renji? Are you saying that you believe me? Is that what you are telling me?"

"Whoa, hang on," said the redhead, holding his hands up in a defensive gesture, "I am not going to accuse either of you of being the 'imposter,' because at the moment? Squad Four can't tell which of you is telling the truth, though they claim the other guy is most likely the 'real' Byakuya, because he wields Senbonzakura."

"Of course Senbonzakura obeys him," said the prisoner, shaking his head reprovingly, "Remember that the relationship between the shinigami and his zanpakuto is based on communication and submission...which means that if I am telling the truth, the man claiming to be me must have some part of my soul housed within him. Additionally, he has my powers, so when Senbonzakura is ordered to act, he accepts the other as me, because he equates me with my power that gained control of him. Likewise, he would reject the part of me left in this body, because my powers have been taken. The other man is more like the soul he knows."

"It's frightening how much sense that makes," Renji mused, "Kami, how are we supposed to figure this thing out?"

"Renji, I need to see my cousin."

"Oh no!" exclaimed the redhead, "I am _not_ going to risk court martial because some pretty twin of my captain sweet talked me into defying orders! You are not leaving this cell."

The man held Renji's eyes for a moment longer, then sighed and nodded in acceptance.

"Besides," the redhead went on, "the guy is unconscious, and has been for months. What are the chances that he'll just wake up suddenly and talk to us? It isn't going to happen. So, we'll just stay here and talk, and try to figure out as much as we can without earning me a death sentence, okay?"

He caught his breath softly at the smile that touched the man's lips.

"I have missed your sense of humor," he said quietly, "and the feeling of ease that always seemed to be between us."

He paused and the smile faded.

"But that was its own illusion, ne Renji? You were only that way with me because you wanted me to let down my defenses and reveal my weaknesses. It was all part of becoming strong enough to overcome me."

"But that's way in the past, Captain."

Renji froze and backpedaled quickly.

"Look," he said, gathering his stymied wits, "saying for the moment that what you have told me is true, then I guess you and I need to start over again from the point where you left. I came to you in the healing center after Sokyoku Hill, and you asked why I was there, and suggested that I wished you were dead."

"And how did you answer me?" the man asked, meeting Renji's eyes cautiously.

Renji felt a sudden sense of having another chance to express what had been halted when Ichigo interrupted him before.

"I said that I didn't want you to die, because if you died, I would lose my motivation to grow stronger. I don't have to hate you anymore to have the drive to get stronger. I respect you more than I did before, because I understand how your promises to your parents and your late wife collided and you felt trapped into having to support Rukia's execution. And I hold no grudges about our battle."

"I only have one regret," said the prisoner, locking his eyes on Renji's, "and that is...that as your captain, I should have been aware of your reaching bankai. A captain and his vice captain should really share that moment. I shared mine with my grandfather, who was my captain, at the time. But...once I did know, I honored you, even as you fell at my feet."

He took another quiet breath.

"You...still have it, ne?"

Renji smiled.

"Yeah, I do."

The man's faint smile returned.

"That is good."

"But getting back to what we were talking about," Renji said, taking a sip of tea, "What more can you tell me? Do you remember anything useful from your time in Las Noches. At what point did you become Aizen's lover?"

"I never agreed to become his lover. Once I was somehow made powerless, I simply had no means to resist him. Don't look so terrified. He wasn't overly forceful or cruel. He simply had his way with me at will. And being confused by his illusions and weakened with the loss of my powers, at some point, I stopped trying to fight him. You encountered his power. And at bankai strength, you could not stand up to him. So...in my weakened state, how could I?"

"When did he put you in that tower?"

"The first time he took me sexually. I was kept there nearly the entire time, except the night when he had me sedated and taken to Gin's laboratory...I think to do whatever it was that made that imposter...and to place the reiatsu chamber so that, after the war, he could impregnate me."

"Sick bastard," Renji hissed softly, "The depths of hell itself wouldn't burn hot enough to give that guy the fate he deserves...even if he could die."

He blushed and cleared his throat, trying not to see the look of gratitude that the prisoner gave him.

"Um...look, I can't let you out to see your cousin. I can't piss Captain off like that, or it won't be me you'll be dealing with..."

"You won't get caught."

"What?" said Renji, giving him a surprised look.

"No one has to know that you helped me. You may restrain me in any way you like while we are there. And...I give you my word that I will not try to escape. I don't want you to be caught helping me."

Renji swallowed hard, fighting a harsh internal battle with himself, pitting his orders against his deeper instincts. The prisoner watched him quietly, waiting patiently as Renji struggled with himself.

"All right," the redhead said, finally, "I can't believe I'm doing this, but I'll sneak you into the fourth division...just for a short visit. I don't figure your cousin will wake up, but...I know how I would feel if Rukia or one of my other friends was hurt and I couldn't see them."

He left the cell and returned with a shihakusho and a dark, hooded cloak. The man put them on, and Renji slipped and silver band around his wrist.

"This will make you reappear in your cell if you attack me or try to escape me."

The man nodded in acceptance.

"Thank you for allowing me to see him."

"Don't thank me yet," said the redhead, "You can do that _after_ we get in and out of there without anyone knowing."

"We'll be fine," the prisoner said calmly, "I cannot be sensed, other than by being seen, and I am sure that, given the time you spent in Hueco Mundo, you have finally learned to suppress and conceal your reiatsu respectably."

Renji gave a soft chuckle.

"Right..." he said, shaking his head, "I won't make you any promises. Come on."

The man followed him out of the cell and through the hallway to the training ground doors.

"The training area lights are off, so we shouldn't have a problem here. Stay close to me...eh...?"

He stopped and frowned at the man.

"What should I call you?"

"Well," said the man, "It would be inappropriate to call me 'Captain,' and if you take on the habit of calling me by name, you may slip and say it to _him_. So, in the interest of having a usable name, I will accept a truncation."

"Huh?" said Renji, blinking.

"Call me Bya."

Renji laughed.

"Honestly, Bya?" he said, grinning, "You are your own worst enemy! Shooting holes in your own explanation of things? Enticing me into breaking the rules and letting you see Tetsuya? Letting me butcher your name?"

"Why does it matter?" Bya said blithely, "I am not myself, obviously. And I have to be called something."

"Okay," said Renji, biting his lips to keep from laughing anymore, "Bya, it is. Now, let's go before anyone sees us."


	4. A Reflection in a Mirror

**Chapter 4: A Reflection in a Mirror**

"Whatever you plan to do, just go about it quietly, ne Bya?" said Renji, leading him into Tetsuya's hospital room, "If we are going to get to the bottom of what's going on, then we can't let ourselves be caught here. Captain will have us both killed."

The words echoed oddly in Bya's head. He felt a significance to them that refused to fully reveal itself to him...an untold secret that only Aizen and perhaps this imposter might know. But unable to open that doorway, he stepped through the only one he could seem to open. He approached the young man in the bed slowly, his heart aching as he moved closer and knew that what he was seeing was not an illusion. His mind spun back through time, seeing again what had been stolen from him while he was Aizen's prisoner.

"Tetsuya," he whispered, reaching the bed and sitting down at his cousin's bedside, "Watashi no itoko..."

He encountered a moment of dizziness, then caught his breath as he realized that the connection between them still existed.

_That is right. The connection between us was not a power based on reiatsu, but a heart-bonding we shared because of that day..._

He left the confines of the small hospital, and the deeper confines of his body, going back to the day when they had first met as young teens.

_He gave the order barely audibly, but the reaction in the invasion team was instant._

_"Move now. Keep it quiet. If they know we are coming, they will kill the prisoners."_

_"Useless enough, a bunch of half-bloods," sighed his cousin, Orochi, "But...since they mean so much to you..."_

_The advance team quietly dispatched the guards and Byakuya's group moved forward on silent feet, passing into the cellblock._ _He paused for a moment before following, his eye catching sight of something sticking out of one of a fallen guard's pockets. He picked up the item and examined it for a moment, then concealed it in an inner fold of his shihakusho. He started forward again, but froze as flash steps sounded all around the invasion team, and sword tips touched their exposed throats._

_"I thought I heard trouble coming," said one of the guards, "And I was right."_

_The guard glared at Byakuya._

_"Do my eyes see correctly?" he hissed softly, "Is this the heir to the Kuchiki clan? The Kuchiki clan has always been too proud a house, I think. And now, you lower yourself to coming here to try to free these useless half-bloods? It was a reckless move, young prince...and one that will cost you everything!"_

_"You dare to oppose our heir? To threaten him?" cried Orochi, breaking away from the guard who dropped the noble in his tracks with a sudden kido attack. Instantly, as Orochi collapsed, the rest of the team reacted, catching the others off guard as they responded to Orochi's sudden move. Byakuya flash stepped clear of the guards, looking back for a moment and seeing that one of their comrades was attending to Orochi, then letting his forces engage the guards as he ran into the cellblock._

_"They knew we were coming..." he breathed, "Someone betrayed us."_

_Behind him, Orochi stirred and regained his feet. He looked in the direction Byakuya had gone and his eyes narrowed._

_"Now, you will see how foolish you were, attempting this..."_

_The cellblock was alive with firelight and screams of terror, as the guards inside moved down from cell to cell, striking the prisoners at point blank range, with intent to kill. Byakuya touched Senbonzakura with light fingertips but knew better than to release the weapon in such a small corridor. Instead, he loosed carefully controlled volleys of kido fire, throwing the guards off their feet and calling for the others to assist in defending the dying prisoners. Cell by cell, he blasted the doors open. And the prisoners left standing, grabbed their injured cellmates and ran for the safety of the armed invaders. Byakuya sighed in relief as more flash steps sounded, and the remaining guards were forced to cease attacking the prisoners, to fight instead for their lives._

_Amidst the flashes of kido fire and the cries of the injured and dying, Byakuya's eye fell on a youth, kneeling on the ground within one of the cells, tears streaming down his pale face as he tried to rouse a fallen cellmate. He pulled the other youth close to him, kissing him gently and telling him that they would be all right, as a guard turned in their direction and fired a deadly blast of kido. Byakuya moved instantly, throwing himself between the guard and the kneeling boy, and quickly dispatching the attacker. The cellblock quieted as the last of the guards fell, and the frightened and injured prisoners clung together, many of them shaking and crying._

_"Do not worry Cousin," said Orochi, appearing suddenly at Byakuya's side, "We lost some of them. However, we saved more. You should be..."_

_Byakuya ignored him and approached the crying boy. He motioned for the group's healer to come forward and watched as he loosed the motionless boy from the other boy's grasp and laid him gently on the floor. He examined the youth, then shook his head and brushed the boy's eyes closed. A wrenching cry from the other youth, made Byakuya's insides clench. He moved forward and rested a hand on the inconsolable boy's shoulder to comfort him. The boy's head turned and wide, wet sapphire eyes fastened on his. Byakuya's heart froze._

_"You are...a Kuchiki?" he whispered, "Who are your parents?"_

_The boy caught his breath and gathered himself, then looked into Byakuya's dark gray eyes._

_"M-my parents were killed here long ago," he said in a low, weary voice, "All I had was Naoki."_

_He sniffed and wiped the tears from his face._

_"My parents were Takao and Kiko...Kuchiki," he added softly._

_Byakuya's eyes widened._

_"But..my father and Takao grew up together. He...told me that they died in a hollow attack in the Rukongai, many years ago," he said, frowning._

_"No," said the boy, "That was a lie. They were taken and brought here, and I was born some few months after."_

_Byakuya sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again and gazed down at the boy._

_Your parents were close to my father...and you are family. I am sorry that our attempt to free you and the others resulted in the death of your friend. But I will do what I can to make amends. What is your name?"_

_The boy's sad eyes blinked slowly._

_"Tetsuya."_

_"Tetsuya," Byakuya said quietly, "Come with me. I will take you to the place where our fathers grew up, and I promise you...I will never let you be hurt like this again."_

_The boy gazed at him uncertainly for a moment, then accepted his hand and rose._

_"Bring him," Byakuya told the healer, "That boy was my cousin's protector and friend here, and will be buried at Kuchiki Manor."_

_Tetsuya's hand trembled softly in his, and he fought fresh tears as he met Byakuya's eyes again._

_"Arigato, Lord Byakuya."_

_Byakuya withdrew the device he had taken from the fallen guard and released the boy from the reiatsu-suppressing collar he wore. Tetsuya touched the place where it had been, gasping softly at the feeling of his own reiatsu flowing freely for the first time._

_"Thank you," he whispered again, his sapphire eyes wide, "I am grateful."_

_He started to say more, but broke off as someone appeared behind the heir, slashing at him. Uncontrolled, raw power erupted from Tetsuya's extended hands, enveloping Byakuya's attacker and sending him crashing to the floor. Byakuya stared at the fallen guard, then looked back at Tetsuya._

_"Lord Byakuya," Tetsuya said softly, "I will never let anyone hurt you either."_

"Watashi no itoko, I have caused you to be hurt twice now, despite my promise. I am sorry."

Byakuya felt the sluggish stirring of his cousin's mind, and visions of their past flickered fitfully before his closed eyes.

_You must try to return to me, _his mind whispered into Tetsuya's.

He felt Tetsuya's mind stir fitfully again and caught a single coherent thought.

_Why? Why would you do this to me...Byakuya-sama? Something...something awful has happened to you...hasn't it?_

"Tetsuya."

"Bya," Renji hissed suddenly, "Someone's coming!"

Renji took hold of him and flash stepped to the closet, pulling him inside and closing the closet door, just as the hospital room door opened. They peered out through the small slits in the door. Renji inhaled sharply, noting who the visitor was, and Bya quickly covered his mouth with a restraining hand. Outside the door, Vice Captain Kotetsu led Byakuya into the room, watching as he sat down in the chair next to his cousin.

"_He wasn't supposed to be back until tomorrow_!" Renji mouthed.

Bya shook his head briefly in warning.

"Have there been any changes?" Byakuya asked quietly.

Isane leaned over the unconscious man, examining him carefully and testing for physical responses.

"None that I can detect, sir," the healer reported, "I am sorry."

"That is all right," Byakuya said softly, slipping a hand into Tetsuya's, "I didn't really expect that there would be, but..."

"But you must remain hopeful," said Isane, "I am sure that he will come through this. He has improved, though slowly, so..."

"Arigato, Vice Captain. Now, I wish to sit alone with him for a while, if you do not mind."

"Of course, sir," the healer said, exiting the room.

Bya and Renji watched closely as Byakuya sat at Tetsuya's side, holding his cousin's pale hand and looking quietly at his peaceful, sleeping face.

"It is unfortunate that we find ourselves in this situation, Tetsuya," Byakuya said solemnly, "I know that there is something significant between us, because you affect my protective instincts. But you became a threat to me. And as things are, I cannot allow any threat to approach me. Rest and heal. And know that I have not abandoned you. I will protect you, even though you do not understand the way in which I must do so. You will understand later. Sleep, for now."

He touched the sleeping shinigami's face lightly and sent a gentle throb of kido into his resting form. Tetsuya's body twitched, then went still as his mind sank deeper into oblivion.

"What the...?"

Renji froze as Byakuya's head lifted, and his eyes widened.

_Crap...he sensed me._

He gasped as Bya moved suddenly, aiming a blow at the stunned redhead as Byakuya frowned and took a breath.

_What? _thought Renji, _Oh...the charm..._

The band around Bya's wrist flashed, and the man disappeared from Renji's side.

_Good thinking, making it return him to the cell, but..._

"Renji," said Byakuya, not rising from the chair he occupied, "Come out of the closet."

_Shit..._

Renji swallowed hard, his heart pounding as he opened the door and stepped out into the hospital room. Byakuya met his eyes quietly, remaining at Tetsuya's side, holding his cousin's limp hand in his.

"Is _he_ with you?" asked Byakuya.

"No," Renji said, lowering his eyes, "I came alone."

Byakuya observed him quietly for a moment.

"Why?"

The redhead took a steadying breath, trying to slow his racing heart.

"I...I don't know, exactly," Renji confessed, "I just...he wanted me to see personally how his cous...how Tetsuya looked."

"So you came to see Tetsuya so that you could reassure the imposter? That seems an odd thing to do. Does this mean that you sympathize with him?"

"Y-yeah...no, I am not sure, Captain. He just seemed so...upset over Tetsuya. I didn't want to disobey orders, and you didn't say that I was not to come here, myself."

"I see," said the noble, standing and approaching his vice captain, "I think I understand. But why conceal yourself?"

"Oh," said Renji, "I just didn't want the medical staff to find me here after hours. Look, Captain, I am sorry if I offended you, but I..."

"Do not dwell on it," said Byakuya, gazing into the redhead's eyes, "Come with me. Now that I am back, we need to look into the information that the healers were able to divine about the imposter. Vice Captain Kotetsu said that the results had been delivered to our division."

"Yes, sir, they arrived this evening," Renji reported.

"Very well. I assume that you have looked at the report?"

"Y-yes sir. Only to be certain that the prisoner posed no immediate danger, which he doesn't."

"I see. Well, then, I will look over the report and we can take things from there."

He turned towards the door and started out of the room. Renji placed a hand over his still pounding heart, then followed the noble out of the room. The two left the fourth division and walked slowly back to the sixth.

"I thought that you wouldn't be back until tomorrow," said Renji, breaking the silence between them.

"My out of town business concluded more quickly than expected," said Byakuya, "And in any case, I too was curious to see what the fourth division would discover about the prisoner. I only stopped to see Tetsuya on my way back out of habit."

"Yeah..." said Renji, his eyes softening, "I know you come over here pretty regularly to see him."

"You do?" asked the noble, looking surprised.

"Yeah. I know he is close to you. He's been to the division a few times to meet you or look for you, so we've talked a few times. He seems really devoted to your safety. And it's funny, you know. Even though you always tell anyone who tries to be protective of you that you don't need them to protect you, what he's said makes me think that you aren't that way with him. Again, not to intrude, but..."

"You are not intruding, but simply being more observant than I gave you credit for. But then, you are accustomed to watching me closely, ne?"

Renji colored and lowered his eyes.

"It isn't like that anymore, Captain," he said quietly, "You know that."

"No," Byakuya agreed as they entered the division, "We understand each other now. We respect and trust each other. That trust is important, Renji. Our lives may come to depend on that trust at some point."

Renji gazed at the noble, blinking.

"C-captain?" he said softly.

Byakuya gave him something close to a smile.

"Why don't you go and make us some tea and meet me in my quarters to go over the medical file?"

"S-sure, Captain. I'll just, get the tea and be right back."

Byakuya watched as he disappeared down the hallway, then took the file and entered the hallway, himself. He started towards his quarters, but paused in the hallway and walked down to the holding cells. He looked into the one that held the prisoner.

"What you are doing will not work," he said calmly, "Renji cannot be turned against me."

"What makes you think that I am trying to do such a thing?" asked Bya.

"You convinced him to go and see my cousin so that he would sympathize with your pain and take on that task for you. Perhaps you imagine that if you connect with his emotions, you can use them to manipulate him. But I won't let you do that. I prefer to have Renji protecting you, but if you do not cease attempting to maneuver him to your side, I will be forced to consider other measures."

"Are you going to lock me in a tower too, as Sousuke did?" Bya asked sharply, "Or will you just render me unconscious so that I cannot fight you?"

Byakuya's eyes darkened.

"What are you saying? Are you suggesting that...?"

"It makes sense, ne? It was easy for me to figure out, even without seeing him. So...this is your way of 'protecting?' You really are a monster..."

Byakuya's hands wrapped around the bars, and he glared in at his look-alike.

"If _anyone_ here is a monster, it is _you_! Listen to you, accusing me! You, who collapsed under the weight of his illusions...who gave in and yielded himself. He has turned you into something more horrid than a monster, even. He has made you weak and subservient. He has made you forget your pride...plundered your body and darkened your soul. And all of the things I held sacred...the things I never shared with _anyone_! He held those things over my head because you whispered them into his ear while he laid with you. _You betrayed me to him_!"

"No," Bya said, his eyes widening and his face paling, "No, I never told him anything! I couldn't stop him from assaulting my body...could not prevent him from taking my strength, my powers and my pride. But I never gave him what he really desired. Not ever!"

"Then, how did he know? Tell me that. Tell me how he knew exactly what to say. I managed to avoid becoming the traitor he would have had me be, but I will not be able to avoid it if you are not more cautious."

His lips tightened and he shook his head, frowning.

"I should have killed you," he said, his voice calming again, "I should have killed you before, while I had the chance. He made you into an abomination. And before you poison the ones I protect, I will find a way to..."

He broke off, spotting Renji walking out of the kitchen, bearing a tray with three cups of tea.

"Do not dare to..."

"I know," Bya said softly, "You do not have to remind me of the obvious."

"Hey, Captain," Renji said amiably.

He set a cup of tea on the small table in Bya's cell.

"Arigato, Renji," the prisoner said quietly.

"No problem," Renji answered.

"Come, Renji," Byakuya said shortly.

The redhead gave Bya a quick, hidden smile, then followed Byakuya into his quarters.

"I hope you don't mind me making extra tea for him," Renji said, closing the door behind him, "Maybe he doesn't need it to survive, but he's been having nightmares and..."

Renji's words disappeared and he gasped in shock as Byakuya pushed him back against the door, sending their tea crashing to the floor as captured Renji's lips in a lovely and savage kiss.


	5. Are We Two of a Kind?

**Chapter 5: Are We Two of a Kind?**

Renji gasped in surprise as Byakuya pushed him back against the door, sending the tea tray crashing to the floor as the noble's mouth claimed his, forcefully. His captain's tongue invaded his mouth, silencing him, and seeking his...curling around and enslaving it. Renji felt his knees weaken and his head went into a delightful spin. But as much as he had felt a longing before for just such a thing to happen, his thoughts spun back to what he had seen in the healing center.

_He attacked his own cousin, a man I know he loves like a brother. And then, at the healing center, he made sure that Tetsuya would stay unconscious. He said it was to protect him, but..._

He felt the tie at his waist release and the noble's cool, pale hands slipped beneath his clothes, sliding around him, holding his body against Byakuya's so that the noble's wonderful, sakura scent filled his senses and sent lovely jolts of arousal through him. Byakuya held him tightly against the door, attacking his mouth passionately and pressing his hips forward so that the redhead couldn't miss the fact of just how aroused he was.

"C-captain..." he moaned around the noble's marauding lips, "Wait...wait a sec...C-c..."

"What's wrong?" Byakuya asked between powerful, open-mouthed kisses, "Haven't you...wanted this? I know I've felt your eyes on me...and you weren't just looking for the way to undo me on the battlefield. Am I wrong?"

"N-no!" Renji groaned, clenching the noble's shihakusho as Byakuya's mouth assaulted his again, "No...I admit...I did want this, but...but why are you doing this now? Is it...? Are you worried about me and _him_?"

The noble pulled away, glaring.

"Should I be concerned about that, Renji?" he asked, touching the redhead's lips, "I thought that you loved me for my strength. That man is a weakling. He is _nothing_ like me!"

"No," agreed the redhead, "He's not so much like you. But when I thought about it, I remembered one time when I saw something of that kind in you."

"What?" Byakuya queried, frowning, "What do you mean?"

"That day at Sokyoku Hill, Captain," Renji said, his lips still burning from their kisses, "When you told the story about Hisana..."

"Those...were extreme circumstances. I am certain that we all have moments of revelation."

"Y-yeah," said Renji, nodding and straightening, "Look, Captain, you don't have to do this. I am not going to go against your orders or let the guy get to me. I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression before. I really didn't mean to."

"Are you saying that you are not, in fact, interested in me...romantically?" asked Byakuya.

Renji smiled and met him for a gentler kiss.

"Not at all," he assured the noble, "I just think that maybe you were rushing things because Bya seemed to be getting under my skin..."

Byakuya's eyes darkened.

"What was that? What did you call him?" he asked sharply, tightening his hands on the redhead's arms.

"I called him Bya. He told me to," Renji explained, flinching as the noble's fingers dug into his arms, "Look, I didn't know what to call the guy and he suggested it...to ease any confusion. I didn't mean to insult you."

"No, I am sure that you didn't," said Byakuya, forcing his fingers to loosen, "But _that name_...it's the one that Aiz.."

He broke off suddenly and shook his head.

"I suppose if he wants to be called that, it is his choice," he said shortly.

He paused, releasing the redhead and turning away.

"I apologize for my behavior before," he said quietly, "I think there is some truth to what you said. I allowed it to bother me that you were responding so sympathetically to _him_. I am interested in you personally, but I should not have used this as a reason to act on that desire."

"Hey, it's all right," Renji assured him, "I told you, I do have feelings for you, Captain. And I am...really flattered and happy to know you feel the same. But we should take things slowly."

"I think you are right," Byakuya agreed, "Now...if you will excuse me, I must rest and think about this situation."

"R-right, Captain," said Renji, "I'll be going, then. I'll...uh...I'll see you in the morning then."

He smiled and leaned forward, capturing the noble's lips gently, before exiting the room. Byakuya waited quietly inside his room until Renji's reiatsu had settled, and he was sure that the redhead slept, then he left his room and walked back to the cell where Bya slept. He opened the cell and stepped inside, closing and locking the door behind him. Hearing him enter, Bya sat up, rubbing his eyes sleepily and watching as he sat down in the chair beside the prisoner's bed.

"Why did you come back here?" Bya asked softly.

"I was curious," said Byakuya, "Why did you tell him to call you that?"

His eyes darkened.

"Did you have a longing to hear it again?"

Bya's eyes widened, but he remained silent.

"That is the name _he_ called you. Why would you ever want to hear _that name_ again?" Byakuya asked, an edge of anger in his words.

"It is just a name," said Bya, "I had to be called something. Besides, it does not sound so unpleasant when Renji says it."

Byakuya leaned forward and took hold of his look-alike's yukata, yanking him closer and glaring into his widened eyes.

"Do _not_ try to come between Renji and me. We are seeing each other now. And besides, _you_ belong to Sousuke Aizen. You know that."

Bya's face paled.

"Don't say that! I never..."

"But you _did_," Byakuya insisted, "You shared his bed for months, _Bya_. You let him corrupt and foul your pure body. Who is to say that he did not also breach your mind? You do not know what he might have done to you. You don't know if he might have set you up to help him, should he be caught. You don't know _anything_ with certainty, for all of the lies that he surrounded you with! Do you?"

"It is true that Sousuke Aizen had his way with me," admitted Bya, "And he certainly could have programmed me the way he wanted to, and I might not have any idea...but I am not the only one who should be thinking that about himself, ne _Byakuya_?"

The noble gave him a seething glance, then rose and headed for the door.

"I will warn you one last time. Do not attempt to come between Renji and me. You will only set yourself up for disappointment if you do."

He released the prisoner and stood, then turned to leave as Bya gazed down at the rumpled front of his yukata, with a saddened expression.

"Why do you hate me so?" he asked softly, "There was a time when you understood me, respected me, even protected me."

A tear broke free and rolled down one porcelain cheek.

"Does it ease your mind to blame me? Does it help you to think yourself innocent?

Byakuya turned back and moved closer to him, capturing him under the chin and looking down into his wet eyes.

"I am not the one he poisoned. I am the one he let go...because I would not have crumbled, and he would have had to kill me."

"That is why he chose to keep me," said Bya, "He knew that, once you left me, I would be vulnerable. And you left me willingly...without looking back."

"I did not think he would leave you alive," said Byakuya, brushing away the tear that had escaped onto Bya's face, "It would have been better for us both if he had killed you. You are a broken and corrupted shell of what you were."

His fingertips moved, stroking the prisoner's cheek lightly.

"But do not worry. Now that he is in prison and I have brought you back, I will make sure that you are not mistreated. I will not allow them to convict you, and will make you a ward of the clan. It will be a much better thing than being manipulated by Aizen, executed or made to spend the rest of your life in prison. You may be held for a time in the clan prison, but the conditions there are not distressing."

"Such kindness," Bya said with soft sarcasm, "Has your heart begun to restore itself?"

"It could be worse for you," Byakuya said, releasing him and leaving the cell, "You could be dead...dead and no one would even ever notice."

Bya watched quietly as he walked away, then laid down again, staring up at the ceiling and trying to push away the feeling of sickness that always accompanied his memories of being with Sousuke Aizen.

"Dead, and no one would notice," he whispered sadly.

His eyes closed.

"No one...except for Renji Abarai."

XXXXXXXXXX

_Bya felt his body lighten and seem to lose all substance. He rose from his bed and moved on bare feet to the cell door. He looked at it quietly for a moment, then passed through it easily. He walked down the hallway, moving warily past Byakuya's room, and pausing longingly at Renji's. But he knew better to go inside, especially after Byakuya's warning._

_Instead, he left the sixth division and walked silently down the deserted streets, heading for Central 46. He reached the place several minutes later, and walked, unnoticed, past the guards. No one inside the building saw him either. He looked into their faces as they passed him, but no one met his eyes._

_"How can they not see me?" he whispered._

_He tried talking to several passers-by, but no one seemed to register that he was there. He moved on, walking, unchallenged, to the prison entrance. The guards did not notice as he walked blithely past, taking a set of keys and using them to enter the prison levels. He passed through them, one by one, until he reached the last, and walked by the guards at the very end, who watched Aizen's cell door, day and night. He opened the cell door and walked inside, then closed it behind him._

_He stood in the darkened cell, trying to understand why he had come there. Something had made him go to the man, despite how he despised him. He swallowed hard and walked slowly to Aizen's bound form._

_"Sakura?" Aizen whispered, his voice echoing softly in the nearly empty cell, "Have you finally come to me, my lovely Bya?"_

_Bya stood, staring at the bound shinigami, his heart pounding oddly and his head spinning._

_"Come, Bya," Aizen urged him in a gentle voice, "I have missed you."_

_And although no part of him wanted to take those steps, his feet moved, carrying him forward until he stood just in front of the securely bound traitor._

_"Will you uncover my eyes so that I can look at you?"_

_Bya's hands moved of their own accord, uncovering Aizen's eyes. The traitor smiled._

_"Beautiful," he said softly, "Just as I remembered you. Come, Bya. Be with me."_

_The familiar feeling of revulsion swept over him, and he struggled to remain where he was. But his body moved forward, ignoring his wishes, and he freed one of Aizen's hands. Aizen smiled and stroked his face gently. And as much as he hated the man, he so craved the warmth and affection that he closed his eyes and allowed himself to be coaxed into moving forward, watching as Aizen adjusted his clothing, baring himself and giving the other man a chilling smile. All awareness seemed to leave Bya, and he did not resist as Aizen pulled him onto his lap and joined their bodies._

_"I have missed you so," Aizen said as he moved, "I have thought of you every day and night, though I cannot tell them apart in here. I wondered how long it would be until you came to me...my sweet, beautiful lover."_

_Bya tried, but could no longer speak as Aizen's mind invaded his, connecting the two, mind and body, and feeding his suddenly overwhelming need for touch, for love, for affection. He knew it wasn't really love. A creature like Aizen didn't know how to love. But being the outcast he was, his choices had been stripped away. All warmth came from this man..._

_"No..." Bya whispered, his hands gripping Aizen's arms as the traitor's body seized and his heat flooded the noble inside._

_He cringed as his own body stiffened and climaxed, as Aizen's mouth returned to his for several long, deep kisses._

_"Thank you, Bya," he said affectionately, "Now..."_

_Bya made a sudden sound of pain and distress as he felt something strike his midsection. He looked down and gasped, seeing Aizen's bare hand had been thrust into his abdomen._

_"What?" he gasped, blood leaking from his mouth, "Wh-why?"_

_Aizen's feral eyes glittered._

_"You have been a lovely and useful person, Bya. But our time is at an end. Give it to me."_

_"N-no!"_

_Bya cried, tearing himself away._

_"No!"_

_He staggered away, blood running out of his wounded body and splashing onto the floor. Behind him, Aizen struggled for a moment, then broke free._

_"It's no use," he said, following Bya as the noble fled, "You can't get away from me. Come now, you are suffering. I meant for you to die suddenly, painlessly."_

_Bya turned and met Aizen's glittering eyes as he closed in. He placed his back against the wall as the other man reached him and gently trapped him._

_"It's all right. I will make the pain go away. I am sorry you are suffering. I didn't want that for you. Now, just give it to me so that we can finish this and your pain can end, Bya."_

_"No..." Bya sobbed, "No! Let go of me!"_

"Whoa...hey, are you okay?" Renji's voice asked, cutting into the noble's nightmare.

Bya flew into the redhead's arms, shaking all over and barely holding back tears, his heart beating so fast that his head spun.

"Take it easy," Renji said soothingly, "It was just a dream. It wasn't real."

"I hardly know what 'real' is anymore," Bya said shakily, "Reality is an elusive thing when someone like Sousuke Aizen controls everything around you."

"Yeah," Renji agreed, "I know how it feels to have his illusions around me, too. I remember how he used them to get the better of me. I never even saw him coming. But it's okay. Aizen is locked up in Central 46. He's not going to get out, so you have nothing to worry about. You're probably just nervous about facing the Central 46 council. But don't be, okay? You're going to do fine. The medical report supports your claim, to some extent, and Byakuya told me that he is going to use royal privilege to get them to place you in clan custody. You'll be safe. No one's going to hurt you. So try to calm down."

Bya looked up and saw Byakuya standing in the cell doorway, frowning at the two of them.

"What happened?" he asked quietly.

"He just had a nightmare," said Renji, releasing Bya and standing, "I was just calming him down. He was scared to death."

"Of what?" Byakuya asked.

Bya met his eyes warily.

"I don't know," he said softly, "I can't remember."


	6. Or Do We Balance Each Other?

**Chapter 6: Or Do we Balance Each Other?**

"Here," Renji said, smiling kindly as he reached through the bars of the cell and placed a hot cup of tea on the small table, "It's ginger tea. You usually ask for it when you're upset about something."

Bya remained sitting on the cot in the cell, facing away from the redhead and seeming as though he hadn't heard.

"Bya?"

The prisoner remained still and silent.

Renji looked back in the direction of the front office, then removed a key from his pocket and started to unlock the cell. Bya's voice sounded suddenly.

"Don't, Renji."

"What? Why not?" Renji asked, "I just want to help you. What's wrong? Why won't you talk to me?"

Bya bit at his lip gently and struggled to find an answer. Sensing his difficulty, Renji unlocked the cell and stepped inside, but stopped as he came into position to see the man's face. Tears ran in streams down his proud face, although he continued to make no sound as he cried.

"Hey," Renji said, sitting down, "What is it? Were you thinking about that dream you had again?"

Bya sniffed softly and nodded.

"Did you remember something?" the redhead asked.

"P-perhaps. Renji, you need to bring Byakuya."

"Why? What do you need to tell him? Is it about your nightmare?"

"Yes. Please tell him to come now."

An odd, nervous ache in his belly, Renji left the cell and walked out to the office, where Byakuya was hard at work.

"Uh, Captain?"

"Hmmm?"

"Bya says that he needs to see you."

"Very well."

Renji watched for a few minutes as Byakuya continued to work, and showed no sign of getting up to go and see the other man.

"Captain? I am...sorry to bother you..."

He broke off as Byakuya's eyes lifted from the pages on front of him and fixed on the redhead.

"Well?" the noble prompted him.

"Sir, he is crying and saying that he really needs to see you. It sounds important."

"I will take care of it. You should attend to the squad training now."

"Y-yes sir," Renji said, letting out a worried breath.

"Renji."

"Sir?"

"You are becoming too emotionally involved with him. I do not think I need to warn you about the dangers of that."

"No, sir."

"Go on, then. I will see to the prisoner."

"Yes, sir," Renji said, turning away.

He left the headquarters and walked out to the training grounds, his mind spinning the details of the situation around and going over them repeatedly.

_I just can't figure out what's going on here. I can't decide from moment to moment which one of them I should trust...or if I should trust either of them. Captain seems like himself, but what can I do with the fact that he hurt Tetsuya, himself, even if he did it to protect him? And Bya...he came back seeming to be an imposter. But he has done more to destroy his own credibility than anyone. Still, I believe him. Gods, what do I do?_

"Vice Captain Abarai!" Rikichi greeted him, enthusiastically, "I have the training group prepared to begin."

"That's good," Renji said, looking from Rikichi to the squad building, "Tell you what. You run warmups today, then have them spar in the same groups as last time, until I get back."

"Yes sir!" Rikichi said, flash stepping away.

Renji walked quietly to the back entrance of the building, and slipped inside, carefully concealing his reiatsu. He passed through the empty barracks and into the hallway where the holding cells were located, then ducked into an alcove as Byakuya appeared at the other end of the hallway and approached the cell.

He produced a key and unlocked the cell, then stepped inside and closed the door behind him. As Renji watched from his hiding place, Byakuya sat down on the edge of the cot, but Bya remained seated and facing away from him.

"Renji said that you were in some distress, and that you asked for me to come," Byakuya said in a low voice, "You know that you should not take such chances."

"My apologies," Bya said softly, "You seemed to be avoiding me. I know that the sight of me sickens you, but what I needed to say to you is important."

"Very well. Speak it."

Bya's eyes turned to meet his, and Byakuya frowned at seeing his tearstained face.

"I heard _him_ calling me," Bya said in a voice that was nearly a whisper, "And I wondered. Was that just my imagination...just a dream? Or do you hear it too?"

"Shh!" Byakuya admonished him, looking around, "Of course I hear it! But you should not speak of it. Be quiet."

"But, Byakuya, you know what that means! Whatever he has planned, involves _both of us_!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Byakuya said sternly, "Aizen has no power over me. Remember, he let _me_ go. He kept and corrupted _you_! I would never help him."

"But the fact that he is calling you means that he may have done something to you that you did not perceive! I know you have your powers and you are stronger, in every way, than I am. But that does not make you invulnerable!"

"You do not know what you are talking about. I merely hear his voice because I am a part of you...nothing more. If he is calling to you, then it is good that you cannot go to him. Be thankful that I am protecting you."

"Why _are_ you protecting me, if you know that he wants to use me?" Bya asked sadly, "You've made it clear enough that you wish I would die! But you have realized, haven't you? You know now what he did to us?"

Byakuya gazed back at him darkly, but said nothing.

"Could you do it, Byakuya?" Bya went on, tears leaking onto his face again, "Could you knowingly kill your own heart? Your love for Hisana, for Rukia, Tetsuya and Renji? Our clan? What then would guide you? What then would you have?"

"You know the answer to that," Byakuya answered calmly, "I would protect them because, as clan leader and captain, it is my _duty_ to do so. Affectations like the ones within you are not necessary to maintain my connections to other people. And all you are, Bya, is a gathering of needless emotions from within me that Aizen sought to use to further his goals."

"I wasn't the only one he used!" Bya hissed angrily, "You think that he let you go because he couldn't use you? Is that really what you think? Why wouldn't he have killed you? Why would he just let you go home?"

"He manipulated my sense of duty," Byakuya answered, frowning, "He manipulated you to find out what mattered to me, then used it to position me to be of use to him, yes. But I have not helped him in any way! For all of the time I have been free, I have conducted myself normally, and have done _nothing_ to help him!"

"I am sure that made you feel safe, ne?" Bya asked pointedly, "He let you go, but he kept me so that when the time came, he could have us both in position to help him!"

"That is not true. I would not..."

"And you think I would?" Bya cried, turning and grabbing the front of Byakuya's haori in clenched hands.

"But you are weak and easy to use," Byakuya said, shaking his head, "I will not..."

"You will," Bya insisted, "Aizen is a master of manipulation, and you know it! He let you go so that you would let your guard down!"

"That is preposterous!," Byakuya replied with a hint of anger invading his voice, "My guard is not down. I am not vulnerable as you are. I only need to keep you away from him."

"No," Bya said, shaking his head, "We have to go to him together! We have to..."

"Are you crazy?" Byakuya asked furiously, "There is no way that I am letting you set foot in that cell! If you go to him, then he will unleash whatever he has planned. You must not even think of doing that. Stay here, Bya. Stay here, stay quiet and you will stay alive. But, if you go to him, I will kill you."

Bya's face paled, but he swallowed hard and, after a long hesitation, nodded in capitulation.

"I understand," he whispered sadly, turning away again, "I am sure that you are busy. You needn't trouble yourself with me anymore."

"You will remain here?"

"Yes."

"You will not attempt to leave, for any reason."

"I will not."

"And you will cease to take me away from my work with your emotional outbursts. The only thing you will summon me to tell me, is if you remember anything more about the dream that you had. Nothing else is relevant."

"I understand."

Byakuya started to stand, but caught sight of Bya's crumpled pose and paused.

"Would you like me to make you sleep for a while?" he asked quietly, "It might give you some relief."

Bya gave a sarcastic, sobbing laugh.

"You mean that I am embarrassing you and you would rather I was unconscious. You care nothing for my comfort."

"That is not true," Byakuya said, capturing Bya's chin with careful fingertips and turning his head so that their eyes met, "Even separated from me, you are a member of the Kuchiki clan, and that means that I will see to your humane treatment and general comfort, even while you are incarcerated. It is my duty, as your leader, to do that for you."

"Very well, then," Bya said, blinking more tears away, "Do what you will. It does not matter. You know what is beginning to happen to me."

"What do you mean?"

"I am a heart with no soul to complete me. If we remain separated, you must understand that I will eventually die. So...you will get your wish, Byakuya."

"I do not want you to die."

"But you said..."

"I said that I should have killed you _then_. That you survived is a matter of fate and Aizen's plans. Killing you now would serve no purpose."

"It would give you peace."

"No. I am afraid that nothing can do that now."

His eyes gazed down into Bya's solemnly.

"All peace ended when he broke us apart. I can live without you, but I will never be at peace...and we can never be made one again. Never. So, we will carry on as we can. That is all that is left to us."

He sent a gentle throb of kido through Bya's body and caught him as he began to collapse. He laid the other man down with surprising gentleness and gazed at him quietly for several long moments before rising and leaving him.

Renji watched him go, then fled the area, not daring to approach Bya and well aware that Byakuya was likely to check up on him to see what he was doing with the training, anyway. He reached the training grounds, just as Rikichi was sending the gathered shinigamis into ability based fighting groups for sparring. As he watched the groups work together, he felt the powerful brush of Byakuya's reiatsu, and saw his commanding officer watching in the distance.

_Damn. He's suspicious. I think he realizes that I am suspicious of him, too. This is not good. I need help. From what the two of them said, it sounds like Captain was captured on Sokyoku Hill and Aizen did something that...that split him in two._

_But, who in the hell am I going to go to?_

_I don't think the captain commander would like hearing that the captain who has been fighting alongside us is not exactly himself, or that Aizen was screwing with him...literally and figuratively! And forget telling Central 46! They'd either not believe me, or they might just make my captain disappear altogether. I guess there's nothing for it, but to go to Kisuke tonight..._

"Renji?" Byakuya's voice said, jolting him back from his reverie.

"Ah, sorry, what was that, Captain?"

"If you are finished leading training, for now, I would like to see you in my quarters."

_His...quarters?_

"W-well, Captain, I..."

He paused as a hell butterfly arrived with a message from the captain commander. Byakuya listened carefully, then met Renji's eyes apologetically.

"We will have to have our discussion later. I must report to the first division."

_Whew! Saved by the butterfly!_

"I'll see you then, Captain," he answered, breathing an inward sigh of relief.

He watched Byakuya flash step away, then left dismissed the training group. He returned to the office, then slipped down the hall to where Bya slept. Unlocking the door, he entered the cell and sat down next to the prisoner, slipping a hand into his, and smiling as Bya stirred and opened his eyes.

"Hey, you feeling better?" he asked, kindly.

"A bit," Bya replied softly, sitting up, "It is good to see you, Renji."

"I just wanted to check on you before I left for the day. Is there anything you need?"

"Arigato, no."

"Okay," Renji said, squeezing his hand gently, "Look, I am going to go to Kisuke Urahara."

He loosed a soft chuckle at the unhappy expression the words earned.

"Hey, you may not get along perfectly, but the guy is really smart. I am sure that if anyone can find a way to help you, he can. I'm going to go talk to him about what's going on. I can't go to the Gotei 13 or Central 46 with this, you know."

"Right," Bya agreed, "They would think we were all insane, not just me."

"Heheh, cute Captain," the redhead chuckled, "Anyway, I am sure that Kisuke will be able to help us. You just stay here and rest, okay?"

"But, shouldn't I go with you?" Bya asked, "Isn't he likely to need material samples of some kind?"

"I don't know what he'll need, or if he'll be able to help, but I'm going to find all that out. Just, try to stay out of trouble until I get back, okay? No picking fights with Captain or trying to sneak out."

"I will be on my best behavior, of course," the noble said, looking amused, "But Renji, promise me that you will be careful. If Byakuya realizes what you are doing, I am not sure how he will react. He is still the person you know, but he is..."

"He's unpredictable right now," Renji said, looking into Bya's eyes meaningfully, "And I think it's because he's missing a part of himself."

"Renji..."

Renji's hands curved around the sides of Bya's lovely face, and he kissed the noble gently and lingeringly.

"I overheard him talking to you. I think I understand what you were trying to say. Aizen broke you apart somehow, right?"

"I don't know," Bya said uncertainly, "Byakuya doesn't know, either. When I said those things, it was based on what I feel, what I sensed happening."

"I think you are right. I think you are Byakuya's heart...his conscience and his ability to personally connect. He is still an honorable man without you...but he's not whole. Without you...he isn't the man I know and love."

"But Renji, neither am I."

"Shh," the redhead said softly, kissing him again, "The two of you, together, are the captain I love. And if it is the last thing I do, I am going to see that you are made whole again, okay?"

"Arigato, Renji!" Bya said breathlessly, "I do not know what I would do without you!"


End file.
